Carlos Correa had a career year in 2021 with the Houston Astros. Stats like a slash line of .279/.366/.485, 26 home runs, and 92 RBI prove that he still has much to offer to his new team, the Minnesota Twins.
Correa is dynamic in the field, with a .981 fielding percentage. His errors were up in 2021, but if he can keep those under control, the sky’s the limit for Correa — and maybe even for the Twins.
Tim Anderson is hitting his career stride at just the right time. He showed tremendous improvement in the field in 2021, with his errors dropping encouragingly, and the best fielding percentage of his career at .977.
Anderson is an exciting hitter as well, with 17 homers and 61 RBI in 2021. He has also not hit below .300 in the past three seasons. Expect him to have another stellar year in 2022, especially if he can improve on his recent performance.
Trea Turner is an integral part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ stellar infield in 2022. In 2021, he had his second-best batting average at .338, and he hit a respectable 10 home runs and 28 RBI.
After moving to second base when Corey Seager returned from injury, Turner can move back to shortstop now that Seager is with Texas. At short, Turner had a perfect fielding percentage in 2021 and, if he can continue in those ways, he’ll remain valuable to the team.
Bo Bichette is one of the new generation of vibrant young players who have made a splash in recent years. He’s an electrifying hitter, with a slash line of .298/.343/.484, 29 home runs, and 102 RBI in 2021. The Blue Jays are counting on that sort of production to continue in 2022.
Bichette needs to tamp down on his errors in 2022 and, if he can improve his accuracy in the field, he can be sure of sustained success in the major leagues.
Boston’s veteran shortstop Xander Bogaerts had a remarkable year in 2021, hitting .295 with 23 home runs and 79 RBI, along with an impressive .983 fielding percentage. His errors have gone down throughout his career as well.
Bogaerts has spent his entire career in the Red Sox organization, so he brings familiarity and leadership to the table in addition to his abilities as an infielder and batter. He could arguably be one of the faces of the franchise in 2022.
At 21 years of age, Wander Franco is a young infielder who shows an immense amount of promise. His .288/.347/.463 hitting stats with seven homers and 39 RBI in just 70 games are impressive, and his .977 fielding percentage at shortstop is tough to beat.
The biggest question that remains for Franco is whether his presence is enough to catapult the Rays to the next level in the majors. It’s a lot to place on the shoulders of such a young player.
The Texas Rangers bet a load of money on former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, but they got a solid hitter. With a .306 batting average in 2021, Seager brings some much-needed power, even if he only hit 16 home runs and 57 RBI and has become a solid doubles hitter.
Seager is a reliable infielder who isn’t prone to errors. He also brings leadership and postseason appearance to a team that could use some of both.
Dansby Swanson is one of the most popular players for the defending world champion Atlanta Braves. His charm and his community involvement cement his goodwill. He had career-best numbers in 2021 as well, with 27 home runs and 88 RBI.
Swanson also had a near-perfect .982 fielding percentage during the Braves’ championship season and, as a veteran who has played his entire career with the team, he is emerging as a leader who could play almost every game in 2022 as he did in 2021.
Until the end of the 2021 season, Francisco Lindor often had to share the New York Mets’ spotlight with teammate Javier Baez, but now he’s the star. The 2021 season was lackluster for Lindor, with a .230/.322/.412 slash line, even though he hit 20 home runs.
Meanwhile, Lindor’s .978 fielding percentage was impressive last year. He can bring leadership to the Mets, and if his batting numbers improve, so will his value.
In 2021, the veteran shortstop Javier Baez boasted an impressive 31 home runs and 87 RBI between stints with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. Now with the Detroit Tigers, he has the chance to shine as a team leader and valuable infielder.
With a lifetime .965 fielding percentage at shortstop, Baez demonstrates competency. He’s also versatile in his ability to switch to other infield and outfield positions. He could become a popular star for the Tigers in 2022.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is currently out, recovering from a wrist injury in the off-season, but he’s still on this list because when he returns, he’ll immediately be the star of the team. It’s easy to see why: he’s a charismatic player with the stats to back up his demeanor: .282/.364/.611 batting numbers, league-leading 42 homers, and 97 RBI in 2021.
Until Tatis returns, the Padres are in the capable hands of young rookie C.J. Young, but rest assured that all eyes will be on Tatis when he comes back.
Don’t let Brandon Crawford’s status as a 12-year veteran fool you. In 2021, he made his third All-Star game, captured his fourth Gold Glove, and had his best year as a hitter, with a .298/.373/.522 slash line, 24 home runs, and 90 RBI.
Will Crawford perform as well in 2022? That is yet to be seen, but his leadership and solid fielding will make him valuable to the Giants no matter what else he does.
Willy Adames’ 2021 trade from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Milwaukee Brewers may have been just what he needed. After hitting only .197 in his time with the Rays last year, he improved to .285 with 20 home runs at 58 RBI, winning National League Player of the Week in July.
A combined .971 fielding percentage between the two teams last year makes Adames a promising young infielder. If he can get his errors down, he could become a valuable asset.
In his first season with Cleveland, Amed Rosario boasted an impressive .282/.321/.409 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI. On the flip side, he does strike out often. On defense, a .976 fielding percentage in the infield with only one error makes him a worthy addition to the team.
Rosario doubles as an outfielder, giving him versatility. If he can perform as well as 2021 or better, the Guardians will keep him around for years to come.
Visa issues due to COVID-19 and elbow issues affected Didi Gregorious’ 2021 season, but he fits in well as part of a strong Phillies infield in 2022. The lowest batting average of his career last year didn’t stop him from hitting 13 home runs and 54 RBI, and a serviceable .953 fielding percentage helps his case.
At 32, Gregarious may be near the end of his career, but the veteran shortstop provides leadership and teamwork that continues to give him an edge.
The Yankees acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Texas Rangers just one season after he acclimated himself to the role of shortstop. A .972 fielding percentage in 2021 proves that he’s learning his new position well.
With a slash line of .271/.312/.357, eight home runs, and 53 RBI in 2021, the expectations on Kiner-Falefa to perform at the plate will be high, and his 20 stolen bases last year provide even more value to his new team.
In his ninth season — all but one of them in Miami — Miguel Rojas has come into his own. He’s in the top ten for fielding percentage over the past five seasons, and he commits minimal errors. He brings solid leadership and has earned the respect of his teammates.
With a lifetime batting average of .264, Rojas is solid even if he doesn’t deliver tons of homers or RBI. But what he brings to the field and the dugout are his strongest assets.
J.P. Crawford is one of those infielders who plays with a fun attitude that endears fans to him. His 2021 numbers — his career-best — don’t hurt either. He hit career highs last year for batting average (.273), home runs (9), and RBI (54).
Crawford can be error-prone, but his 2021 fielding percentage was still an impressive .981. If he can improve in the field and at least sustain at the plate, he’ll have more opportunities to be joyous in 2022.
Nicky Lopez rose to the starting shortstop role in Kansas City when Adalberto Mondesi suffered an ACL injury that’s likely to end his season. Lopez is another one of those young prospects who show immense promise.
Lopez’s 2021 slash line was an impressive .300/.365/.378, and he hit 43 RBI. Most importantly, he boasts a .994 fielding percentage for last year. If he can keep up those numbers or improve on them, Lopez can have greater success.
Even though injuries plagued DeJong’s 2021 season, his output has been inconsistent during the past few years. His troubled 2021 numbers led the Cardinals to relegate him to a reserve role for a time, but he was soon back as a starter when Edmundo Sosa’s star faded.
His average career stats show the promise that he has, with a lifetime .238 batting average, 28 home runs, and 83 RBI per 162 games. If DeJong can do that well or better, Cardinals fans will be happy.
Near the end of the 2021 season, the veteran infielder Elvis Andrus broke his leg. Before that, he had a .243 batting average for the season with three home runs and 37 RBI, an improvement over his 2020 numbers but very different from his glory days.
Andrus’ value is what he can do in the field. His 2021 fielding percentage of .971 is consistent with what he’s done throughout his career, and the leadership he brings to the team is important as well.
At 35 years of age, Alcides Escobar doesn’t have many more years of playing time, but he’s the Washington Nationals’ starting shortstop until prospect Luis Garcia is ready to take over the role. He puts up decent numbers as a hitter: a .258/.294/.345 slash line, and he had a perfect fielding percentage in 2021.
With 13 seasons under his belt, Escobar is a proven leader who brings wisdom and experience to the Nationals. It’s a fitting way to play in the last few years of a solid career.
The veteran Jose Iglesias has bounced around the majors throughout his 11-year career, but he’s found a place this season with the Rockies. He’s not a powerhouse hitter, with a slash line of .271/.309/.391, nine homers, and 48 RBI, but those numbers aren’t discouraging.
Iglesias’ numbers have been consistent throughout his career, and he was an All-Star in 2015. At 32, he brings leadership to the Rockies organization along with the skills he’s honed over his journeyman career.
Nick Ahmed has the chops to start at shortstop for the Diamondbacks, with whom he’s spent his entire career — two Gold Gloves and an impressive career .978 fielding percentage. He’s less impressive at the plate, with a career average slash line of .236/.291/.382 and an average of 13 home runs and 60 RBI per season.
The Diamondbacks, who have struggled the past few seasons, need Ahmed more for what he can do in the infield than in the batter’s box. That’s the value that he provides for the team.
Last year, Kyle Farmer made his first big impact in the majors as an everyday player after several years of journeyman work. His hitting was respectable, with 16 homers, 63 RBI, and a .263 batting average, but the Reds will likely count on him to improve on those numbers.
At 31, Farmer is a little older than most players getting their shot as a starter, but the University of Georgia alumnus has what it takes to succeed.
Jorge Mateo is part of a young squad of shortstops for the Orioles. He had limited playing time in 2021, but he put up decent numbers in 89 games between the Orioles and the San Diego Padres: a .247/.293/.376 slash line with 4 home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
Mateo seems to be starting 2022 at a slower pace at the plate, but he’s been solid in the field, which is what the Orioles need from him the most.
The Pirates have a young slate of shortstops, led by Kevin Newman. In 2021, he had a respectable .226/.265/.309 slash line with five home runs and 39 RBI, but his OPS was the lowest in the major leagues at .574.
If Newman doesn’t deliver, the Pirates could go with Cole Tucker or Diego Castillo, who are both younger than Newman. However, he shows promise that could give the Pirates reason to stick with him.
Jeremy Peña is the Astros' young shortstop who’s getting his first shot at the major leagues in 2022, replacing Carlos Correa. As such, he’s an unknown quantity, even though he has a solid baseball pedigree as the son of 1990s MLB star Gerónimo Peña.
Peña has big shoes to fill, but he shows promise. Even though he’s a decent hitter, he’ll need to work on cutting down on his propensity to strike out if he wants a sustained MLB career.
Andrelton Simmons played for the Minnesota Twins last year, where he hit the lowest numbers of his career, batting: 223 with three home runs and 31 RBI. All of his stats are drastically below his output every season of his career, the pandemic-shortened 2020 season notwithstanding.
Simmons’ age — he’ll turn 33 toward the end of the season — doesn’t play in his favor either, despite the fact that he’s still effective as a defensive player. He may find himself playing in a platoon system if his numbers don’t improve.
Luis Rengifo is a young infielder who isn’t a natural at shortstop, having played second and third as well as short. With a slash line of .201/.246/.310, he’s not as reliable at the plate as other infielders are on the team. He’s only hit 14 homers and 54 RBI throughout his career.
Rengifo may see other players start in his place, especially if the legal trouble he’s gotten into in his native Venezuela catches up with him.
